This story is now out of date. Please read the most recent here.
Updated with new information on Mar. 29, 2025.
In 2023, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration offered unlicensed gifting operators a window to apply to be legal medical cannabis dispensaries. Out of hundreds of shops in the city, a little over 70 applied.
The ones that applied through ABCA were safe from enforcement against gifting of cannabis while they transitioned to the legal market. Over the last year, only fourteen unlicensed cannabis dispensaries have successfully transitioned to the legal D.C. market as of Mar. 29, 2025.
The last ABC Board meeting before the deadline occurred this week, and only three new licenses were added to the licensing docket.
This means that over a dozen stores could fail to meet the deadline. If ABCA enforces the Mar. 31 deadline per guidance released in February 2025, 21 shops could face closure and loss of license if they are not open by end of day Monday.
The guidance states that shops must “have their retailer or internet retailer licenses issued and be in operation,” by Mar. 31, 2025.
If a business does not meet the deadline, they will “have its Board approval rescinded or its license application denied by the Board,” according to the ABCA released guidance.
Enforcement begins April 1, 2025, according to the ABCA guidance. If ABCA follows through with its guidance, over 20 not yet opened businesses who were on the licensing docket but could not be open in 24hrs, could face immediate closure even if they stop gifting cannabis.
Even if half of the shops who made it to the license docket make Monday’s open deadline, a little over 30% of unlicensed applicants will have made the transition to the legal D.C. market. That’s as little as 10% of the entire cannabis gifting market in D.C. if considering the number of unlicensed shop according to ABCA regulators 2024 testimony to D.C. Council.
Below is a breakdown of the businesses facing the deadline. Please note that the categories are according to the most recent documents available and our reporting. To correct a placement, please reach out to ljdawson@outlawreport.com.
Still Processing
| Cannalife Center LLC | 2115 Rhode Island Avenue NE |
| Natural Elevation | 1216 H Street NE Unit B |
| Positronics | 1209 Tenth Street NW |
| Za Partners LLC | 1383‐1385 H Street NE |
| the crank corner | 1915 7th Street NW |
| Columbia Height Market | 3459 14th Street N.W. |
| Lifted Shop – Dispensary & Weed Delivery DC | 2622 Georgia Avenue NW |
| Pipe Dreams | 4510 East Capitol Street NE |
Licensed not open
These businesses may or may not have their final license. Unfortunately, ABCA does not publicly announce when business are officially licensed. These are businesses that have appeared on the licensing docket which means they are able to submit their final papers.
| Royal Tobacco | 2604 Connecticut Avenue NW |
| Gasaholics | 1230 H St NE |
| 1314 9th Street LLC | 1314 9th Street NW |
| Dreams Wellness LLC | 1829 M Street NW #101 |
| Our Spot Tobacco Shop | 5320 Georgia Avenue NW |
| Vibez | 1768 Columbia Road NW |
Licensed expected to open
These are businesses we have confirmed are licensed and expected to open by Mar. 31, 2024.
| Georgetown Supply | 1251 Wisconsin Avenue NW |
| Sticky Meds | 1104 8th Street NE Unit‐C |
| All Vybez DC | 3011 Georgia Avenue NW |
| Apple Dream Shop | 3106 Mount Pleasant Street NW |
| District Gaslight | 1738 14th Street NW |
| The Grove Shop | 1612 7th Street NW |
| Smoke & Tingz LLC | 3622 Georgia Ave NW |
| Luxury Soil | 775 H Street NE |
| UpNSmoke II | 427 8th Street SE |
| UpnSmoke III, LLC | 712 15th Street NE |
| UpnSmoke IV LLC | 3289 M Street NW |
| Yemaya’s Lounge | 3919 Georgia Avenue NW, Unit 1 |
| Buddha Plug | 2018 Florida Avenue NW |
| Doobies District | 1526 U Street NW |
| Cloud 9 | 1703 North Capitol Street NE |
| Herbal Harvest | 1263 Wisconsin Avenue NW #2 |
Open
These businesses are either listed on ABCA’s retail website or through other reporting we know they are open.
